THROUGH THE HEART OF HINDUSTAN
but I was urged to
take the old man's
picture
under the
very eyes of those
who sought to pre
vent it. Verily, the
holy man is a force in
India, especially at
such a time and place
as the Megh Mela at
Allahabad.
BENARES, A CITY OF
PERPETUAL PIETY
From Allahabad to
Benares is a step
from periodical pil
grimage to perpetual
piet y. Benares is
enough to sicken a
surgeon. Mark Twain
has described it so
truthfully that subse
quent writers have
had the choice of quo
tation or paraphrase.
Itisacityofnar
row streets in which
the heavy scent of
jasmine flowers be
comes a stench and
the holiest spots foul
retreats. Luckily,
there are a few places
where the foreigner
is not allowed to en
ter. But the sight of
flower-decked bu 11 s
crowding spindle
shanked children
from the streets is
Photograph by Maynard Owen Williams
THE BURMESE SMILE IN AN INDIAN SETTING
At Buddh Gaya, whither Buddhists flock from many quarters, the
merry smile of the Mongoloid Burmans can always be seen. The
two young nuns had just been initiated and the one in the middle
still felt the responsibility (see text, page 465).
enough to remind one
that he is in a land where human life is
cheap, but where a riot may be started
by the killing of peacock or pigeon or
monkey.
Benares is a crescent waterfront on a
filthy stream backed by a malodorous
city. According to Mark Twain, a self
respecting germ won't live in Ganges
water, but this does not prevent the peo
ple from bathing in it, drinking it, wash
ing their clothes in it, and tossing half
burned bodies into it, to float about in
the backwaters around some ruined ma
sonry until flood carries them down the
stream.
Across from the city is a low plain of
soft sand, along whose shoreward edge
a row of vultures can often be seen.
They are lazy beasts. A vulture's life in
Benares is too easy and opulent to be
admirable.
For three miles the river front is lined
with a succession of ghats and palaces
which make it a vision of beauty. Trav
elers usually embark on small boats
which are rowed up and down the
Ganges, giving intimate views of the
bathing and other activities. From this
vantage point the city is of surpassing
interest.
463